It is often desirable to secure a room or an enclosure from intrusion by an unauthorized person, such as a burglar. At a basic level, a door or removable entryway may be used to provide a minimal level of security, blocking the site of contents of the room from prying eyes, and thus, reducing the risk of a break-in by removing immediate knowledge of the contents. While perhaps effective at some level, the placement of a simple barrier to viewing becomes irrelevant if the intruder has prior knowledge, or some belief, that the room contains something of value. Additional security measures are often used, usually in the form of a lock to the door or removable entryway, creating an additional barrier to entry. Locks range in complexity and effectiveness, from simple clasps to hardened metal bolts. While door locks may provide an effective means for securing a room or enclosure, there are a myriad of ways available to a person to break into the enclosure. Additionally, because they are a physical structure, door locks do not represent an impossible barrier to the clever or determined intruder.
In order to provide for some level of security beyond a door and door lock, a two part security system is often used, one of prevention and detection. The purpose of the door and the door lock is to attempt to prevent the entry of the intruder by placing some physical barrier between the room and the intruder. Thus, the intruder has to exert some level of force to enter into the room when secured by a locking mechanism. The other part of the security equation is detection. If the intruder knows that their entrance is either detectable or has been detected, even if the intruder is able to enter the secured space, the threat of capture by the police and prosecution in a court of law works to erect a mental barrier to entry.
Perhaps the most common detection system is an alarm system. In the context of a house, the alarm is typically connected to all doors and windows on the ground level. If anyone of the doors or windows is opened while the alarm is activated, an audible alarm will typically sound. In most home alarm systems, the alarm is also connected to a central monitoring system. If the alarm is tripped, a signal is sent, typically through the telephone land line, to the central monitoring system. If the owner of the home does not respond to a callback from the central monitoring system in a proper way, either by answering the callback or repeating a pre-determined password, the central monitoring system usually will notify police of the potential intrusion.
While somewhat effective in protecting a home or office from intrusion, the security system is typically immobile and is setup for a specific use, i.e. the home or office. Because people are becoming more mobile while the threat of crime is not significantly diminishing, the single purpose security system is of no use to an individual other than the location of installation. When traveling, safety is often a primary concern of the individual, often influencing the location the person stays as well as the location within the location the person stays. For example, for personal safety reasons, it may not be preferable to book a hotel room in an area of a city notorious for crime. Additionally, a person may wish to request a hotel room a significant distance from the fire escape stairwell, as studies show a significant portion of break-ins occur next to the stairwell.
Even though an individual may take these and other precautions when traveling, such as locking the door, the feeling of security when a room or dwelling is protected by an alarm system may be desirable even when traveling. Thus, there is a need to provide for a security system that is mobile and convenient for travel.